Counting Butterflies - Baby Borg Blog
A little about me...
My husband and I found our dream home in the Country when my daughter, Isabella ‘Ella’, was only 8 weeks old. Needless to say, we impulsively decided that we HAD TO HAVE IT, and found ourselves packing up our old home, and moving into our new house after 4 weeks of seeing it! The excitement, wonder… and let’s be honest, sheer madness of the ordeal, were some of the same feelings created when my daughter entered my arms the moment she was born. It extended the adrenalin rush I had been riding since we had brought her home and sleep became a taboo word in our house.
When the boxes were brought into the house and my husband returned back to work, I was left alone with my daughter in this new and strange home in the middle of the forest. As my daughter lay asleep in her pack’n play in the middle of our living room, furnished by half opened boxes, I looked out the window and cried (…okay I cried like a baby!).
The adrenalin was gone. I was exhausted. I was lost. I realized that this wasn’t only from the move. It was from Mommyhood; something I had wished for, and dreamt of, since I met my husband. My career is consulting to teachers and parents experiencing challenges. I thought this would make it all easier. I thought I knew what I was doing!
Questions circled my brain, just as unorganized as the sea of boxes that surrounded me. Was I the only mom who felt this way? Would I be able to raise this beautiful little girl to become a happy, fulfilled, and strong woman? Was our decision to move away from everything we knew and isolate our family in the country the right one? And the scariest of them all: Was I cut out for Mommyhood? I cried and cried and cried, trying to remain silent so Ella wouldn’t wake up, for what seemed like hours.
Just when I thought my tears would never end, the most beautiful butterfly landed on the butterfly bush planted in our front garden. And then another…and another. Just as one flew away, another would land. I found myself counting each butterfly as they landed, in sheer awe. Growing up in the city, this was something so new to me. I began to smile as I reached 23 butterflies, and then I heard Ella cooing while slowly waking up. I scooped her up, kissed her tiny nose, and said, “How about Mommy and Ella go outside and count butterflies”.
It was in this moment, when I allowed myself to slow down, take a deep breath, and notice the simple beauty in something, that I learnt what kind of Mommy I was going to be. I am a Mommy who is teaching my daughter to take pleasure in the simple things. To love, and see the beauty, in herself and everything around her. To laugh, to learn, and to live to the fullest. And while teaching her these lessons, I am teaching myself to do the same.
I am now Mommy to a beautiful, smart, and bubbly toddler (Ella will be 2 in the spring). My house is unpacked (shhhhh… there is still a sea of boxes in the basement!). I have gone back to work as a consultant, and back to school doing my Master’s in Counseling Psychology. And somewhere in all that, I am also a Wife, Cook, House Cleaner, Friend, Sister, Daughter, and Teacher. Juggling all this, I can honestly say that I am nowhere near the most organized woman whom you have ever met. There are days, okay MANY days, my house looks like a pack of elephants ran through it. And I still feel as though most days I am flying off the seat of the pants and just guessing what to do next. But just as life begins to pile up, and I feel like locking myself into the bathroom and never coming out, I remember to step back, take a deep breath, and ‘count butterflies’
Sincerely,
Counting Butterflies
A Mommy’s New Year’s Resolution
… 5,4,3,2,1 HAPPY NEW YEAR! As I rang in the New Year with the traditional kiss to my husband and cheers to my friends, I couldn’t help but think about my Ella asleep at home (Yep, we were one of the lucky parents who scored a babysitter for New Year’s eve!). Every other year at this time, like many others, I began to think about my New Year’s resolution.
Thinking about it, my New Year’s resolutions over the years had always been about something I didn’t like about myself. The previous year, it was to defeat the stubborn ‘mommy-pounds’ that loved me too much to leave! The year previous to that was to be more organized and keep my home cleaner (hmmm… well still working on that one!)
This year, I decided to do something a little different; I have decided this year my resolution was not to be so judging of myself. Us Mommy’s have enough things to worry about then to spend the time judging ourselves for the things we dislike about ourselves. One of the lessons I hope to teach to my daughter is to love herself and see beauty in all her imperfections. So am leading by example and starting to practice this simple (… but oh so difficult) lesson.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that I will be turning a blind eye to all those things that I can improve on. Because trust me there are many! But I am not going to judge myself and allow those things to define me. I am not an ‘Unorganized-Mommy’, but a Mommy who would way rather spend my time playing and making a mess with my child, then cleaning and doing laundry everyday. Although being more organized is something I am working on, it is not something I will beat myself up about. Instead, I will spend that energy I use judging myself, and go play outside with my daughter! The messes will just have to wait!
What is your 2012 New Year’s Resolution?
Baby Borg Product Review
Santa was very good to Ella this year and our living room, toy room, and every other corner in the house is now pilled with kid stuff! I am continually finding new ways to make clean up easier around the home, so when I saw the Three Sprout Bins on the Baby Borg site, I just HAD to have them. Not only were they super cute, I loved that Ella could reach into them without assistance, and were not heavy and hard like many other bins out there (… after one nasty fall face first into a hard toy basket, I banned them from the toy room!). I also liked that it fit SO MANY of Ella’s toys, and I now even use one for her laundry hamper.
Mommy Tip: Make cleaning up with your little one a fun thing. Sing a little jingle about cleaning up (…it is amazing what mommy’s can come up with!) and make it into a game. Try taking turns throwing soft toys into their bins (also working on throwing and eye-hand coordination skills), or see who can fill their bin up first. Let your child choose which bin they want to fill, “do you want to fill the blue elephant, or purple hippo?” Not only will clean up be a little more tolerable for all, you will also be able to extend your fun time with your child!
http://www.babyborg.com/category_7/toys-and-fun.php
